The Moffats of Airdrie

The earliest Moffat in our tree is Alexander Moffat c 1724 from Airdrie, Lanarkshire. He married Jean Dickson 1724 from Coatbridge and they had 4 children: Janet, Margaret, Patrick, and Alexander. Patrick was a weaver so maybe his father was too?

Alexander Moffat 1762 was a tailor on Hallcraig Street, married to Agnes Laing 1760 from Govan. They had 10 children and the oldest was:

Alexander Moffat 1787 was a weaver, also on Hallcraig Street. He married Mary Black 1787 who was the same age and grew up on the same street. Her father William Black was a weaver and came from a long-established Airdrie family.

Alexander and Mary also had 10 children but their first son (Alexander) died and their second son Alexander also became a weaver.

Weaving and coal mining were the two main industries in Airdrie (previously known as New Monkland). Weaving was a highly skilled job and very lucrative until mechanization changed everything. Weaving eventually moved into factories and the home weaver was no longer his own master.

I noticed that in weaving families it was usually the eldest son of a weaver who followed the trade. Maybe only one son could inherit the weaving equipment as it was so big - and the others figured out something else to do…

James Moffat 1832 became a tailor (like his great grandfather) and moved to Paisley when he was about 19. Paisley was one of the largest towns in Scotland and known for high quality textiles and thread-making - the perfect place for a tailor to grow a business!

The Moffats of Paisley

George Brodrick Robertson